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I have found a cost effective way to maintain relatively clear skin. Granted if I drink a sugary drink or neglect to wash my face at night, I will end up with a blemish, but this skin care routine really works for me and I hope it helps you too!

When I wake up I Dry Brush my entire body. A dry brush can be purchased for a one-time payment of around $5. Here are some benefits of dry brushing:

Different Types of Dry Brushes

Direction Guide to Dry Brushing

Health Benefits

Facial Routine (Morning):

Rinse face with warm water 3-5 times

Wash face with African Black Soap

Rinse thoroughly

Use Homemade Toner (1/3 cup ACV, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 2 cups water)

Apply Vitamin C Serum (it varies- I usually get them from Ross or TJMaxx)

Apply GNC Vitamin C Cream Moisturizer

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Facial Routine (Night):

Rinse face thoroughly

Wash face twice with African Black Soap

Exfoliate face with Baking Soda

2x a week exfoliate with Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask

Use Homemade Toner

Apply Vitamin C Serum

Apply a thick layer of GNC Vitamin C Cream Moisturizer

Apply 100% Shea Moisture thinly to eye area, lips, and smile lines

Apply Castor Oil to Eye Lash Line, Eyelashes, & Eyebrows

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Full Body Care:

I wash with African Black Soap

I wash my underarms with Baking Soda; I also exfoliate with Baking Soda or even the Charcoal Black Sugar Polishing Scrub

I use a bath sponge or bath gloves

I partially dry off

I moisturize dry areas with 100% Shea Butter, Olive Oil, or Coconut Oil; it helps to bend your knees and elbows to moisturize in between the fine lines

I like the Kiss My Face Tropical Coconut Lotion

Skin Care DONT’S:

Don’t apply Olive Oil on entire face if you have sensitive or acne prone skin as it can clog your pores

Don’t apply Vaseline to your eyelids for moisture as it will clog your eye line and lead to small bumps

Don’t wash or rinse your face with hot water

Don’t buy foundations with an oil base- opt for water based foundations

Wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15-20 MAX anything more is a waste of money

I generally change products I use, however I usually stick to these type of products in general. I hope you can find something you like within my skin care routine and please share any products you use that work! 🙂

Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them… Psalms 127:3, 5

Bearing children is an absolute miracle. From conception to birth, I know it’s God’s hand that gives and sustains life in the womb until babies first cry.

God has blessed my husband and I with a stepladder of children ages 5, 4, almost 3, and 16 months. While we have our hands full, God has blessed us with another gift who we all look forward to meeting in late December. We already have 2 older boys and 2 younger girls so this next baby will be “The Tie Breaker” as we do not know the sex just yet.

I am fully aware of how hard is can be to conceive and how much harder it is to maintain a healthy pregnancy, and am thankful to God that I have had no complications in pregnancy or labor. God is a Keeper and has been very faithful in answering my prayers during each pregnancy.

As I enter my 22nd week of pregnancy tomorrow, I wanted to share a few scriptures and prayers that I ask God when I am pregnant. These can also be used as Faith Declarations!

Lord, thank you for finding my husband and I as fit parents to rear this child unto you. We do not take it lightly or for granted All that Your Hands have made and crafted. We will praise you everyday for the life this baby lives as each day is a gift in itself.

According to Isaiah 54:17, I know that “No weapon formed against me {and the baby} shall prosper!” No weapon formed against the babies development, spirit, soul, and mind. There is no weapon formed against my body and spirit.

I am healthy. My body will perform the way God intended for it to work during this pregnancy.

I will “Cast All my cares on you Father because you care for me” according to 1 Peter 5:7. I will not let the fear of an unhealthy baby, any sickness or disease cross my mind as I am believing for “The Peace of God that passes all understanding” according to Philippians 4:7.

I will carry this baby Full Term. You Lord know exactly how long that is “For you know the plans that you have for me {and the baby}, plans to prosper me and for my good” according to Jeremiah 29:11.

I am declaring that my baby will have a right thinking brain, a healthy heart, properly functioning organs, rich blood, and no sickness or disease shall come upon my baby by the Authority of Jesus.

My baby will meet every developmental milestone and be used for Your Glory Lord!

Each day is a day Lord that you have made, I will rejoice in this pregnancy and be glad in it according to Psalms 118:24.

Baby, I love to feel your kicks and flutters. It lets me know how strong you are getting and that you are growing perfectly!

Baby, we love you so much. We cannot wait to kiss your cheeks, hold your hands, count your toes, and hold you close! Our prayer is that you know just how much you are loved everyday! Even though you are not born yet, you are very much apart of our family and we want you to know just how special you are!

Thank you Lord for Your Word and Your Way. God you are The Alpha and The Omega, so you know my babies first and last day. I know that this child is a being lent to us during our time on Earth as parents and we promise to raise this child in the fear of you and all your greatness. Lord you are The Giver of Life and we thank you for this life that we have been given. This life is one that will add much joy and laughter to our family. Thank you God for your plans and your Love. You God are Good and We Love to Praise You!!

Please be sure to add any special prayers that you have during your pregnancy!

When I said my vows 7 years ago, I envisioned many nights with my husband watching Lifetime movies, chick flicks, and playing Uno; what I never imagined was the invisible Ball And Chain Console I’d had to pry him away from almost every night!

Most guys like video games and I understand why. Video games are outlets of fantasy that allow men (and some women) to escape into worlds where they can travel through space, fight in the military, or run and fly at extreme speeds. But come on.. alllll the time? Is it really that much fun?

My husbands dream would be for me to be an Extreme Gamer! He would be in absolute Heaven!! But it’s just not my thing. I’ve tried, but I can’t see myself shooting pixels or going to “The Tower” to get the latest and greatest armor to fight “The Fallen”.

My Husbands Absolute Dream!

Actual Reality.. lol

SO, if your husband is an extreme gamer, there is hope! There can be peace! Instead of getting frustrated or completely misunderstanding his slight addiction, make it up in your mind that he can out doing a million other things, leaving you at home worried and upset.

My Uncle gave us the best advice about this situation when we first got married. Here’s how the conversation went:

ME: “He plays video games all the time!”

UNCLE: “Ok, let him. At least you know where he is. He’s not at a club, drinking, or cheating on you. He’s right there in your living room playing that game!”

MY HUSBAND: “Yeah!” (Smiling from ear-to-ear)

Seriously, that was some of the BEST advice a young newly wed could have gotten. Of course, when we first got married, my husband was not at all interested in playing video games as much. We didn’t have children so this gave us a lot of time to do the things we got the luxury of doing without needing a babysitter. I will forever cherish those words of wisdom from my Uncle who has been married for over 40 years!

Sooo, ladies, if you are in the same boat, here are a few tips of what you can do while your boo goes on “The Traveler” (lol, another Destiny reference).

Join him! If you can’t beat him, join him. If you want to be the coolest wife in town, pick up the sticks and fight, raid, and conquer with your beau. If it’s just not your thing, the thought was definitely worth a try!

Support him! Every sports player loves a good cheerleader! Why not cheer him on as he massacres the enemies! Still not into it?

Find a hobby you really enjoy! Blog, write, read, draw, scrapbook, sew, or play with your little ones! You can also get ALOT of house work done because trust me, hours go by when they get zoned in!

Meal Plan. Find ideas on the internet or crack open a recipe book.

Organize Junky Closets!

Sort through old clothes your child has outgrown!

Clean out the cabinets.

Dust.

RELAX with a good magazine!

Have a pamper night!

Take a bath.

Go Shopping.

Get a pet!

Watch a movie.

Learn how to play the piano, lol.

Exercise.

Clean your children’s toys- they get really dirty!

Create a new hairstyle.

Mix and match new outfit coordinations in your closet.

Plan things to do before they get comfortable on the game! (Unless it’s the last day of the month before the game resets!)

And finally, be patient and have understanding.

Men have enough stress working all day long. If playing a video game helps to relieve a little of that stress, then it can’t do too much harm.

As my URL states, I am a stay-at-home wife and mother; what it does not state is that I am a mother of 4 children under 5 years old. I’ve been married for 6 years (7, April 25th) so I’ve basically been pregnant every year of my marriage. No, it was not planned, but my husband and I knew once we got married that we wanted to have about 5 children. I think it’s fair to say that we are probably closing up shop and just going to appreciate the blessing of having 2 older sons and 2 younger daughters.

With such blessings comes much responsibility. Changing dirty diapers, washing that God-knows-what gunk off their tiny fingers, and getting them to eat their peas, are just a few of the normal things us moms get the joy of doing on a daily basis. Being a stay-at-home mom is not any easy task, no matter how many children you have. You still have to nurture a child’s mental and physical development until they leave the nest.. whoooo!!!

I am naturally a very organized person, so creating a daily routine that works for my family and I is rather easy to do- committing to it everyday is the hard part. Yes, I know at 8 a.m. their teeth need to be brushed and at 12 p.m. they will eat a pb&j and apples, but sticking to such a rigorous schedule can become very stressful. I found creating schedules with time slots is not a way that I can live freely. It’s like being in the military. “Attention Toddlers! Rise up! Get Dressed! Eat this! Do that! We’ve got a time schedule to check off!” NO WAY!! Every single day is unpredictable! I may plan to homeschool at 10 a.m. but the baby has rolled around in the dogs wet food and now needs a bath! Oh no, now my whole day is off!!

So, as I’ve gotten more comfortable in the role I play in my house as The Home Keeper, I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t work so well. And the beauty of it is that next month, that may change too. The point is, everyday is an opportunity to grow and learn who we are. What works for you, may not work for me and vice versa. We can ONLY do what works for our own homes and what keeps peace.

Like I stated, I am naturally organized person, so I do like to keep a list of things I would like to get done to have a productive day.

Having multiple children is really not as hard as it seems just as long as you get sufficient rest, plan ahead, and relax often.

Here is what works for my family and I of 6 people:

My Ideal Daily Routine (with no time slots :):

Get Up & Make My Bed

Kiss My Husband Goodbye as He leaves for Work

Dry Brush & Stretch

Wash Up & Get Dressed

Walk the Dog

Pray the Kids Sleep for 30 more minutes 😉

Get Greeted by my little angels with hugs and kisses 🙂

Brush the Kiddies Teeth & Get Them Dressed for the Day

BREAKFAST & Audio Bible with the Kiddies

Clean the Kitchen

Homeschool Time

Play Time

LUNCH & Educational TV

Clean the Kitchen

Prep for Dinner

Nap Time

ME TIME :)- (Workout, Draw, Write, Calendar/Organize, Relax, etc.)

Cook Dinner

“Honey I’m Home!” :*

DINNER

Walk the Dog & Check the Mail

Family Bible Time

Clean the Kitchen

Family Time 🙂 A.K.A. My Favorite Part of the Day 🙂

Kids Clean Up Their Rooms

Give the Kids a Bath to Unwind & Brush Their Teeth

GET IN THE BED KIDS & DON’T GET OUT!! (But I know you will! Lol!) & Nightime Prayer

Read The Word

Shower & Get Ready for Bed

Thank God for Another Day and Pray for Strength for the Next!!

This, ideally, is the way I would LOVE for each day to go, but I have learned that it is, at times, impractical. Most days, I’m happy to get the kids to just eat their dinner! But I am a young mother and happy with where I am in life and the steps I take each day to become better than I was yesterday!!!

Be Encouraged! If you are a Mother and your kids are fed and clean, then that in itself is a job well done!!!